The Whole Gang,
Vicki and I want to keep everyone posted about our beautiful boys Shep and Jack, and by the time this is all over I may consider a career in blogging. First off, Vicki is continuing to recover well from the C-section she had on Saturday. She has been up walking around, moving quite well and we are hoping to be home by Wednesday. Now let's talk about the boys. Shepherd and Jackson have been enjoying their stay in the Neonatal ICU. The boys are receiving excellent care and have an amazing team of doctors and nurses looking after them around the clock.
While most of the news we have gotten about the boys has been amazing (great body weights, breathing on their own, and very active), we unfortunately got a bit of bad news on Monday. While doing a routine examination on Monday morning the doctors heard a heart murmur on both Jack and Shep. The doctors ordered an echocardiogram for both boys to explore the cause of the murmur.
We'll start with Jack. Jack's murmur was caused by something called a PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus). Basically this is a condition where the connecting blood vessel between the pulmonary artery and the aorta, called the ductus arteriosus, stays open in a newborn baby. When a baby is in utero the mom does the work of breathing and this vessel stays open and directs most of the blood away from the lungs. When a baby is born this vessel is supposed to close, but often in premies this vessel stays open and causes a murmur. The good news is a PDA is very common and often they resolve themselves in a few days. If the PDA doesn't naturally resolve itself, it can be treated with medication or a small procedure that can be done at the bedside. None of the doctors are really concerned about Jackson's PDA and hopefully in a few days his murmur will be gone and his heart will be beating normally.
Shepherd's echocardiogram returned a more complicated situation. The good news is that Shep does not have a PDA and that his vessel naturally closed. However, Shep has two other issues that a currently effecting his circulatory system. What's interesting about Shep's problems are that individually they are both serious and would create a situation that would need to be corrected immediately. However, due to the unique set of circumstances I will describe below, the problems are actually working to counteract one another and balance his system. Thus, allowing us to postpone the correction temporarily and let Shep and his immune system grow and mature.
Shep's first issue is called a VSD (Ventricular Septal Deffect). This is a hole in the membrane that separates the heart's right and left ventricles (lower chambers). These lower chambers of the heart pump deoxygenated blood up to the lungs and pump the returned oxygenated blood out to the rest of the body. The hole between these 2 chambers is allowing blood that has already been oxygenated to flow back up to the lungs. The hole and its subsequent return flow is causing to much blood to be sent to the lungs and will ultimately result in an over saturation of the lungs.
Shep's second issue is called subpulmonic stenosis. This condition is a tightening of the valve that allows blood to flow into the lungs. By itself, this condition restricts the amount of blood flow to the lungs, preventing the blood and the body from receiving the necessary amount of oxygen. However, in Shep's case the VSD is causing too much blood flow to the lungs and now the pulmonary stenosis is helping to restrict that excess flow.
So what does this all mean. These two issues are serious and they need to be corrected. The good news is that though these problems are not common, they are not unprecedented and can be fixed. The hope is that the VSD and pulmonary stinosis will continue balancing each other for the next few months, allowing Shep's immune system to mature. Around 4 or 6 months Shepherd will undergo open heart surgery to repair these two issues simultaneously. The doctors will actually sew a membrane patch over the hole and then shave off the excess valve muscle causing the stenosis. The good news is that they can both be repaired and that Shepherd will make a full recovery. Though no parent wants their child to have to undergo major heart surgery, there are great doctors here, who have preformed these procedures many times before. Not to mention, that once these problems are resolved, they will likely be fixed for good and Shepherd will grow up with a fully functioning circulatory system, able to live an active lifestyle with no restrictions.
So for now things don't change much. The boys will still be staying in the NICU for the next 6 or 7 weeks to continue to grow and develop, and barring any unforeseen circumstances they will still be coming home with us at the end of that time. However, at some point within the first year, Shep will have to make a return trip to the hospital for his surgery.
While I understand that this is not the happiest email that I have ever sent, please know that Vicki and I and our doctors are all incredibly optimistic and expecting only great things for both our boys. Remember, the Britton Boys have no idea anything is wrong with them and neither of them have any real symptoms yet. They are just hanging out in their little NICU boxes chillin and moving around, they are having a good time and getting lots of attention. Vicki and I have been blessed with these two wonderful guys and though our road seems a bit rocky at the moment, I can only think that this experience is helping to prepare us for the amazing journey that lies ahead.
PS To all the doctors on this list, I apologize for this email and my layman-ology.
PS To everyone else, I apologize for this impromptu biology lesson and discussion of our circulatory system.
PS Thank you to all for your support throughout this amazing experience.
PS One last thing. This list has continued to grow and my emails have been inconsistent so below I am including all of the emails I have sent describing the last two weeks of our lives. Most of you have already seen them, but just incase you haven't you can follow the timeline.
With much thanks and happiness,
-Ryan & Vicki - New pictures of the boys are attached.
No comments:
Post a Comment